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Pre-Major Advising Center
The Pre-major Advising Center
is located in 106 Kinard with the Office of Student
Services. This Center provides advising for all incoming
freshmen who have undeclared majors - those uncertain of the
discipline that they will pursue. The Pre-major Center is
staffed by a graduate assistant and supported by Pre-major
faculty advisers. Advisers provide scheduled appointment
advising for about 150 pre-majors in the College of Arts and
Sciences at Winthrop University.
The graduate
assistant in this office handles the assignments of advisers
for all pre-majors and assembles and maintains their folders
throughout the semester. The graduate assistant also
represents the Pre-major Advising Center at Preview Day
events and performs regular duties in the Office of Student
Services.
Information
for Pre-Majors
Many students enter college
without having made a final decision on selecting a major.
College should be a time of exploration. Pre-majors are
often academically talented, but need more time to decide
what course of study will be right for them. As a nationwide
trend, pre-majors continue to represent a large part of the
entering first-year college classes. At Winthrop University
we recognize your right and need to be undecided, and we
provide the support you need to select a major.
Statistics from recent
freshman orientation programs indicate approximately ten
percent of all first-year students do not wish to declare a
major upon entering Winthrop. Other data suggest that nearly
two-thirds of all students who declare a major at the
beginning of their college career will change that major
during the first year. Academic and career decisions
students make during their college years profoundly affect
the direction of their lives. First-year students are
expected to search, experiment, and grow as they begin to
develop in the academic community. The following information
will explain the resources available to pre-majors and may
answer some of your questions:
I feel like I'll
have many academic questions during my first year at
Winthrop as a pre-major. Will I be assigned an academic
advisor as declared majors are?
Yes. All pre-majors are assigned to the
Pre-major Advising Center. Advising is provided by faculty
members representing a variety of academic departments.
These advisors are specifically prepared to help resolve the
issues that pre-majors tend to encounter. An advisee/advisor
ratio of 15 to 1 helps to ensure that you will receive
plenty of personal attention.
What courses do pre-majors
take if they have not officially declared a major program of
study ?
At least one-third of the courses
required for any Winthrop major are found within the General
Education Distribution Requirements.
What happens after I
declare a major at Winthrop ?
Once you have selected a major, you
will be assigned to a faculty member in your area of study.
Your major advisor will provide assistance with scheduling
classes to fulfill the graduation requirements and provide
career direction in your chosen field of study.
Whether you are totally unsure of your future major or
simply trying to decide between two fields of study, you can
work toward your educational goals as a pre-major at
Winthrop. There are support services to guide you and
faculty to advise you during this important transitional
time. Your selection of an academic field of study and a
decision regarding career goals should be made after a
comprehensive review of all appropriate information. The
transition to college and making these important decisions
can be easily achieved with the support available to you at
Winthrop.
What are some of the other
support services available to me as a pre-major at Winthrop?
In addition to your faculty
advisor, you are encouraged to use the resources of the
Pre-major Advising Center, Counseling Services, the
Mathematics Lab, and the Writing Center. The Pre-Major
Advising Center, located in 106 Kinard Hall, is open Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trained advisors are
available to provide assistance with academic concerns,
including questions about dropping courses, transfer of
credit, audits, etc. Counseling Services offers workshops
throughout the school year to deal with topics such as time
management, test- taking, and study skills. A study skills
counselor is available to assist students with improving
study habits, note-taking, and test anxiety. The Mathematics
Lab, open during specific weekday hours, is staffed by
mathematics faculty and advanced students. All students can
use their services for assistance in their mathematics or
other quantitative courses. The Writing Center is staffed by
English faculty and is designed to meet the needs of
students desiring writing assistance. The center is open
daily at specified times for consultation on specific
problems with written composition. The center also offers a
series of workshops on topics such as verb tense
difficulties, the essay exam, paragraphing within an essay,
and many more.
How can I make up my mind
about a major ?
Students are encouraged to explore
areas of study that seem to interest them. There are
resources available to pre-majors which help them to assess
their personal strengths, employment objectives, and values.
Counseling Services and Career Services staff members are
available to discuss values clarification and/or employment
prospects.
When must I declare a
major?
Some degree programs (such as
Education and some Visual and Performing Arts programs) are
designed with sequentially ordered courses. Students with
interests in these areas are encouraged to discuss their
interests with an advisor prior to Orientation since a delay
in declaring a major could impact their length of study at
Winthrop. Other degree programs have more elective hours,
and students may wait up to three semesters to declare a
major.
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